The present invention relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly to surface-mounted, right-angle electrical connectors.
FIG. 6 depicts a conventional right-angle electrical connector 100. Other examples of conventional right-angle electrical connectors can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,183,301 and 6,083,047.
The electrical connector 100 comprises a plurality of plate members 102 disposed in a side-by-side arrangement within a housing (the housing is not shown in FIG. 6, for clarity). A plurality of conducting members 120 and ground members 121 disposed within grooves formed in the plate members 102. Each conducting member 120 has a mating pin 122 and a contact portion 124 disposed at respective first and second ends thereof. Each ground member 121 includes a mating pin 126 and a contact portion 128 disposed at respective first and second ends thereof. The mating pins 122, 126 each extend away from a forward surface 102a of the plate member 102, in substantially the horizontal (xe2x80x9cxxe2x80x9d) direction. The contact portions 124, 128 each extend away from a lower surface 102b of the plate member 102, in substantially the vertical (xe2x80x9cyxe2x80x9d) direction.
The electrical connector 100 is adapted to be mounted on a circuit substrate such as a printed wireboard (PWB) 130. The contact portions 124, 128 are adapted to be inserted into through holes 131 in the PWB 130. The contact portions 124, 128 are then soldered to electrical traces within the PWB 130, thereby establishing electrical contact between the electrical connector 100 and the PWB 130.
The contact portions 124, 128 extend below the mounting surface on the PWB 19. Surface-mounted electrical connectors, by contrast, are typically soldered directly to electrical traces on a surface of a circuit substrate such as the PWB 19. In other words, a surface-mounted electrical connector does not extend below the mounting surface on the circuit substrate. Hence, surface-mounted electrical connectors usually require less space within an electronic device than other types of electrical connectors of similar capabilities. This feature is particularly advantageous in light of the ongoing drive to reduce the size of electronic equipment, and to add additional functions to such equipment.
Applicants have found that surface mounting, although suitable for use with right-angle connectors, has certain limitations and disadvantages when used in such applications. In particular, the forces needed to restrain right-angle connectors laterally, i.e., parallel to the mounting surface, are difficult to achieve with a surface-mount configuration. (Lateral restraint in a conventional right-angle electrical connector such as the electrical connector 100 is achieved, at least in part, by interference between the contact portions 124, 128 and the circuit substrate upon which the connector 100 is mounted.)
Lateral restraint in a surface-mounted right-angle electrical connector can be achieved by placing bumps or projections on the lower surface of one or more of the plate members thereof, and securing the bumps or projections to a mounting surface of a circuit substrate. Co-planarity among the bumps or projections on different plate members, however, is generally difficult to achieve, thus limiting the degree of lateral restraint achievable using this mounting arrangement. Furthermore, precision-placement of the electrical connector on the mounting surface is usually difficult to achieve when the connector is being fixed to the circuit substrate. Hence, surface-mounted right-angle electrical connectors are not typically configured for surface mounting.
An ongoing need therefore exists for a surface-mounted, right-angle electrical connector that can be effectively restrained in the lateral direction, and that can be precisely positioned on a mounting surface of a circuit substrate.
A presently-preferred electrical connector comprises an electrically insulative base member having a first surface, a substantially planar second surface, and a plurality of stud members projecting from the second surface. The base member has a plurality of through holes formed therein. The through holes each extend from the first surface to a respective stud member. At least a portion of each of the stud members is coated with an electrically conductive material. The electrical connector also comprises an electrically-insulative plate member mounted on the base member, and a conducting member. The conducting member comprises a lead portion at least partially disposed within the plate member, and a contact portion at least partially disposed within the stud member.
A presently-preferred right-angle electrical connector comprises a plate member having a first and a substantially perpendicular second surface, and a conducting member. The conducting member is at least partially disposed within the plate member and comprises a contact portion extending away from the second surface, and a mating pin extending away from the first surface. The electrical connector also comprises an electrically-insulative base member comprising a stud member and a main portion having a first surface and a substantially planar second surface. The first surface of the main portion is adapted to receive at least a portion of the plate member, and the stud member projects from the second surface of the main portion and is adapted to be mounted on a circuit substrate. A passage is formed within the base member and extends through the main portion and the stud member, and the conducting member is at least partially disposed within the passage. The stud member is at least partially covered with a conductive coating adapted to establish electrical contact between the contact portion and an electrical connection point on the circuit substrate.
Another presently-preferred electrical connector comprises a plurality of conducting members each comprising a contact portion and a lead portion electrically coupled to the contact portion, and a plurality of plate members disposed within the housing. Each of the plate members has a plurality of grooves formed therein for receiving the lead portions. The electrical connector also comprises a base member having a plurality of grooves formed in a first surface thereof for receiving and retaining the plate members, and a plurality of stud members projecting from a second surface thereof and being adapted to mount on a circuit substrate. The base member receives each of the contact portions in respective passages formed therein and extending through the stud members. The contact portions are adapted to be electrically coupled to the circuit substrate by a conductive coating disposed on at least a portion of each of the stud members.
Another presently-preferred electrical connector comprises a plurality of conducting members each comprising a contact portion and a lead portion electrically coupled to the contact portion. The electrical connector also comprises a plurality of electrically insulative plate members each having a first surface, a substantially perpendicular second surface, and a plurality of stud members projecting from the second surface. The stud members are at least partially covered by an electrically-conductive coating and are adapted to be mounted on a circuit substrate. The conducting members each extend between one of the first surfaces and one of the stud members. Each of the contact portions is at least partially disposed within a respective one of the stud members and is adapted to be electrically coupled to the circuit substrate by the conductive coating.